Browse below for some information about who we are and what we do here at W.W. Greenhouses, Inc. ::

Q. Why is W.W. Greenhouses different?

A. This is not a simple question to answer, and perhaps reading the rest of the Q’s and A’s below will give you more of an idea. Simply put, W.W. Greenhouses is a retail garden center focused on top-quality plants, top-quality service, and top-quality selection. Many others claim such things, but we believe W.W. Greenhouses delivers on all of these aspects.

Quality plants means that our customers can be sure they are purchasing a plant that we would plant in our own garden, plants that are disease and pest free, and plants that have been carefully grown by ourselves or painstakingly selected from other suppliers. Quality service means that we have a knowledgeable staff that can sufficiently assist our customers, and enough staff to make your visit as pleasurable and efficient as possible. (Of course, those busy May days are stressful!) Quality selection means that we have years and years of experience and knowledge to know what works, and what doesn’t. Although we carry most every perennial and annual you could ever wish for, we do not offer plants just so that we can say we have them. For us to offer a certain plant, it must have significant worth to the customer’s garden, and significant worth to us to supply them.

By all of this and much more, we are saying that our customers feel genuinely satisfied by shopping at W.W., and we urge everyone to come and see firsthand what we’re all about!

Q. How long has W.W. been in business?

A. Brothers Doug and Tom Walters established W.W. Greenhouses in 1985.

Q. Where is W.W. located?

A. Click here to see maps and directions to our store. (A new window/tab will appear, so you won’t lose this page.)

Q. What hours are we open?

A. Our hours are always changing, so we urge you to call or email us if you need accurate hours of operation. Generally speaking ::

»  April M-F 9-8, Sat 9-5

»  May M-F 9-9, Sat 9-8

»  June-July M-F 9-8, Sat 9-5

»  August-September M-F 9-6, Sat 9-4

»  October M-F 9-6, Sat 9-3

Q. What do we sell and carry?

A. W.W. Greenhouses carries an extensive line of perennials, which has been our specialty from the beginning. In addition to perennials, we offer one of the largest selections of annual bedding plants and potted annuals, along with some of the most beautiful hanging planters and baskets you will ever see. Empty window boxes, containers, baskets, general-purpose fertilizer, bagged dirt and bark, vegetables, herbs, small potted shrubs, roses, pre-filled combination planters, and the list goes on and on!

Q. Why don't you carry the perennial "_______"?

A. We strive to offer as many perennials as we can throughout the entire season. W.W. has always been known as a leader in quality perennials with an incredible selection. However, there are a few reasons why you may not be able to find EVERYTHING at W.W.. Here's why ::

»  Out of season : plants may simply not be available until suitable growing conditions exists

»  Sold out : certain plants may be in high demand and at times there is a limited supply

»  Lack of quality : we would rather not offer a plant at all than to sell a plant that does not meet our quality standards

»  Not worthwhile : there are some plants that simply are a waste of space in our store, or may not be requested enough to offer, or perhaps there are nicer and better performing substitutes for that plant.

Q. Does W.W. accept credit cards?

A. Yes, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and any debit card based on these.

Q. Does W.W. accept TRIP or VIP tuition assistance certificates?

A. In the past, we honored regular TRIP certificates at a 10% rate, but we were able to do this only through a few select schools in Western Michigan. We now honor only VIP certificates at a 5% rate. By honoring VIP certificates, we are able to help out many more families since VIP is run through most schools all over Western Michigan. VIP certificates can be purchased much the same way as regular TRIP certificates through your school program. VIP certificates are also honored at many businesses, so you do not have the limitations of regular TRIP certificates. We feel this is the best way we can remain competitive, and still help those with tuition needs.

Q. Does W.W. offer gift certificates or gift cards?

A. Yes, we offer gift cards in any amount you desire. To order, click here to contact us.

Q. Does W.W. sell plants online?

A. Yes. In 2005 we began a small online shopping site offering selected perennials. Our goal was to provide a simple, easy, and secure way to purchase the plants our customers have grown to appreciate, along with expert online assistance and service. We are improving the function and expanding the number of varieties constantly, and we hope it will be a convenient extension of our already valuable website. You can check it out including all the details by clicking here.

Q. I just received your perennial catalog, but I can't find some of these perennials on your online shopping site. Why?

A. The perennial catalog we print and send to our mailing list customers represents what we plan to carry in our Hudsonville retail garden center store, not our online store. At this time, we are unable to keep all the plants listed in the catalog stocked and ready for shipping to our online customers, as inventory and selection in our retail store changes daily.

To control plant and shipping prices for our online store, we maintain a separate inventory of selected perennials in special sizes. Availability for these plants are updated in real-time as seen online.

Additionally, if online shoppers cannot find what they are looking for, they may simply call or email us with their request, and we will be happy to get them a quote for plant prices and shipping to their area.

Q. Does W.W. carry nursery stock like trees or shrubs?

A. In the past, we have offered trees and shrubs to a degree of success. Lack of space, flooded markets, and lack of staff prompted us to postpone sales of trees and shrubs until we could "do it right."

While we dropped the entire line of trees and shrubbery for a number of years, in 2004 we began a small line of select flowering and foliar shrubs in smaller 1 gallon containers. This was a complete success. Minimal space was taken which didn't require us to use our valuable space with large displays. The smaller containers were less expensive than many of our competitors' plants, just smaller and needing an extra season to gain comparable maturity, which was a winning situation for customers not needing that instant size. They were also the perfect compliment to our other perennial plants in size and habit, with shrub varieties specifically selected for integrated use with other perennial plantings.

We continue each year to expand our line of flowering and foliar shrubs.

Q. Why doesn’t W.W. have more "sales," especially later in the season when everyone else is having "sales?"

A. This is a loaded question, with many different aspects. Please allow us to explain.

First, we do indeed offer promotions and sales on quality items from time to time. There has always been a 10% discount on our customers’ entire purchase during our opening weekend in the spring, and countless other specials are run throughout the season. We are not opposed to putting things "on sale" if there is sufficient reason to do so.

Second, we feel that lowering prices only because it is later in the season is poor business, and it hurts the entire industry. The plants we sell later in the season, for the most part, are just as good as those we sell earlier in the year. (We either sell decent plants, propagate what we can, or we dump them.) We have just as much time, expenses, and effort into the later plants as the earlier plants, if not more. We are also constantly getting fresh material in weekly throughout the season where the price we set on them is definitely justified. The bottom line is, we set prices for what we feel our plants are worth. We feel discounts are mainly for items that are not worth the original price we set on them, or if we have an abundant supply in which we can pass some savings on to our customers. We do not discount our material solely for the sake of competing with other establishments, or for the misconception that plants must be reduced in price just because they are sold later in the season.

Third, we urge our customers to make honest comparisons. Sometimes we aren’t the lowest in price, and that is fine. We do not feel cheated if our valued customers shop elsewhere and find what they are looking for at a lower price. We are only disappointed when we are informed that another establishment is offering the same plant for less, and later discover after seeing it firsthand that it is certainly not the same plant or in the same condition. Price shouldn’t be the only thing that matters to a customer, in our industry or any other. Again, we set prices for what we feel our plants are worth, but if our customers find lower prices for the same quality plants elsewhere, it’s a win-win situation for the customer. All we ask is that our customers compare "apples to apples." There are many variables in the horticultural world, and many things to watch for when shopping for good plant material. In the end, competition is good for business, and the customer comes out on top.

Fourth, we discard many plants that do not make our grade, instead of putting them "on sale." Instead of having a huge sale at the same time every year on the plants that look extraordinarily sub-par, we propagate them or dump them. We could certainly sell that sort of stock at very cheap prices, but we would rather not hurt the industry or display such plants on our benches. It is just not professional in our opinion. We might fall short and sell some poor plants from time to time, but it is never intentional.

Q. Is there any guarantee on your plants?

A. We offer a 100% guarantee on all of our perennials purchased in our Hudsonville garden center for the duration of the season in which the plants were purchased. (We cannot be responsible for problems associated with over-wintering.) Just bring in your problem plant with your receipt, and we’ll take care of you. As for our other plants, we try to be as accommodating as possible when problems arise. We do not feel responsible for customer neglect, accidents like hanging baskets falling, frost, or other problems out of our control. However, we make every effort to keep our customers satisfied with what they have purchased, and we will continue to offer assistance in dealing with problems that might occur.

For plants purchased on our online store, if you are not satisfied with the plant product you receive, simply inform us of the problem within 7 days of receiving your order, and we will replace your plants or refund your money; no questions asked! If you do not contact us within 7 days of receiving your order, we will assume you are satisfied with your purchase and that you have received plants in good health. We will then no longer be held responsible for the survival of your plants.

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